Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-03-04
THE MoRPHIA HABIT.
what Chemist IIns to Say About the
Fashfonabie EVIL.

What q Chemist Ifus 10 say Apout 80
Fashfonable EVIL.
1t was in the window of an instru-
ment-makers shop-a handsomely
wrought silver box that. from its shape
aud general appearance. might pass as
a receptacle for matches or for snuff.
That it was not intended for either pur-
pose was evident from the articles sur
rounding it. A question addressed to
the man at work behind the counter
brought him to the window, where. af-
ter adjusting his spectacles more firmly
on his nose, he finally succeeded in
discovering the novelty referred to.
and drew it out with a hook-rod.
This, he said. lis one of the newest
of my own inventions, and though it be
but small thing. its price is a big
thing, or would be to some people. Do
YOU know sir, he continued. that that
little trinket is worth $2p And tiny as
il is 1t can do more damage than its in
nocent looks imply. This is morpha
case, and though we do sell few to
doctors. the greater number of sales are
TO people who are addicted to the NOR
phia habit.
the box opens the lid without the slight
est no Sc. and by pressing it again
when closing 1t will produce a similar
result" Here he gave a short exhibit
zion of how noislesslv the act of open
ing or closing it might be done. Now,
you know, a doctor would not cspeci-
ally desire such case, but with the
people who have formed this habit 1T is
essential that in INDUCING they should
not be noticed by others. AS it is
frequently necessary for them to apply
IL when on the street or while travelling
in the cars we mus. comply with their
wishes and make these cases and their
contents as harmless and innocent in APP
pearance MS possible.
We have adopted the silver match
box shape and this noiseless catch on
this acc cunt.
I'm this first compartment. the in
strumentmaker continued, rs he point
cd to the first of the three parts into
which the box was divided, ''the wires
for pointing the injector ARE kept. in
the second is small vial of norphia,
in the third isa dainty little silver in
jector, which looks more like pencil
case than the harmful thing it Is.
Now, sir. You see how easy man can
put the desired quantity into the injector
at home and when outside how easily
he can puncture his skin and inject the
drug"
This little lecture upon the quaint
instrument aroused the curiosity of the
he, lat Of
night. he stopped at wcll-known drug
store on prominent street to ask
something about the drug itself There
he learned that the usual amountsused
by physicians in their practice. when
necessity for hypodermic injection
Of morphia occurred, was from one
fourth to one eighth Of grain; that the
drug was really the active principle of
opium. and that its indulgence as n
habit was extremely dangerous, event
ually fatal, and that it was also very
costly habit.
.'Ihe class of people," said the cx-
perienced night clerk. "who are fire.
quently found through sudden deaths
or accidents that expose the truth
to have been addicted to morphiu arc
mostly men who are living in high
pressure style. The lower class. and.
in fact. many OF the upper class of
society. and professional people are
forming the habit. | know promi-
nent druggist in the eastern states
who used it steady for years, and
when he died suddenly from its effects
his arms and legs were found to be
literally blackened where the skin had
been punctured while using the in
jector. Every night someone comes
IN here for it. We sell n greater
amount to ladies. and mostly young
ladies'. than to men. Who they are
or to what class they belong can not
tell. rs they only go at intervals to one
store, and in this business curiosity
would be n bad fault
ut is hard to tell just how much
one who has become habitetl to this
drug can stand, rs it depends mainly
upon the length of time they have
been INDUCING in it. This is true in
every habit and the longer they use
1t the more is necessary TO effect them.
The habit is evidently growing. aud il
may some day need legislation to pre-
vent it from becoming us popular as
the use of opium Is in China. "--St.
Paul Globe.